Pitch and catch with ... Arizona Diamondbacks OF A.J. Pollock

by Scott Bordow - Apr. 19, 2012 06:22 PMThe Republic | azcentral.com

Arizona rookie center fielder A.J. Pollock, the club's first-round pick in the 2009 amateur draft, got the call Tuesday he had dreamed about for years. He was going to the big leagues. He made his major-league debut with the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Queston: How did you hear the news?

Answer: We (Triple-A Reno) were playing in Fresno and I was probably two minutes away from getting my first at-bat when (manager) Brett Butler called me and said, "We're taking you out of the lineup. You're going to the big leagues." I gathered my stuff and made a couple of calls.

Q: What was your immediate reaction?

A: I thought it was a joke. He (Butler) kind of half told me. I don't know if he was trying to build the drama up.

Q: Who did you call?

A: My family, I called my girlfriend and all my friends. Everybody was pretty pumped.

Q: J.J. Putz came over, said hello and told you to "play your game." Does that help relieve any pressure you might place on yourself?

A: They've got a good team here already and as long as I'm playing my role and doing my part we'll be fine.

Q: You grew up in Connecticut. Why baseball instead of, say, hockey?

A: I didn't even have hockey as a choice. When it was cold out there we did as much as we can hitting in the cages.

Q: You missed the entire 2010 season with an elbow fracture. How difficult was that just as you're starting your professional career?

A: It was tough. That was one of the things I was thinking about today, thinking back to where I was in 2010, the stuff you go through and doing all the rehab. It makes being here even more sweet.